Something Different
by MetroidMania23
Summary: Story comissioned by my girlfriend. Originally her's. SamusxZelda. Link disappears fighting unknown forces, Samus comes to protect Zelda. yuri, rated M.
1. Chapter 1

New story, commisioned to me by my girlfriend. She wrote one, which you can find at - .com/art/Something-Different-140394823

That's her, and it's worth the read. It's the original, which makes it awesome. Yes, this is a SamusxZelda story. No, I have no idea where this one is going. I'm just kinda gonna go with the flow here.

Just when I thought I couldn't write any more....

--

**Chapter 1**

I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. I knew what I was doing...I hoped. My head spun with questions that I couldn't answer, questions that no one could answer. But what the hell were they here? In this strange, mystical land? In this place with strange people with strange ears who were short and....I just didn't like the situation; didn't like it one bit.

Exiting my ship, I set up the camouflage, walking forward through the forest I had landed in. I had heard bad things about it from the locals. Apparently, if you got lost in the forest, you would become bound to it forever, and become something called a "Skull Kid." I didn't really understand what that was supposed to mean, but...oh well. I was afraid to get lost in the "Lost Woods," as they called it.

Slipping out of the forest, to a small alcove between the Faron Woods, or something like that, and the great field, I slowed my steps, keeping carefully behind trees and other things for cover. I didn't want anyone to find me, anyone to see me. It was for the best, even though I was told that I wouldn't be seen, and if they saw me, they wouldn't know me. But they would, and then what would happen to the princess...?

The great hero of the land, a friend of mine named Link, had gone of to fight, despite my warnings. I hadn't expected him to listen to me, he never did, but I had hoped maybe he would understand that it was for the best NOT to go. But he left, and now I was called, being a personal friend of Link, to watch over the princess in this time of peril for the kingdom of Hyrule.

To be quite honest, I had never heard of Hyrule until I had met Link. And even then, I was skeptical that the kingdom even existed. Until he brought me here. I was fascinated by this kingdom; it was so much more beautiful, so much more natural, than any place I had ever been before. It matched the beauty of Tallon IV, of many planets I had been to.

The great field was wide and filled with many greens. Trees, grass, a pond, and a dirt road. Very rural, very natural. Folding my arms, I walked forward, following the dirt road toward the castle that pierced the sky in the distance. It was magnificent in the distance.

There was a little town surrounding the castle, and it was filled with people. They all stared when I passed. Maybe it was my ears. They were a lot smaller than the ears of everyone else. They all had long, pointed ears. The lore to that was that the ears are long so that they could hear the whispers of the Gods. I couldn't help but snort at that; Gods don't exist. But maybe they were staring because I was so tall compared to them. Or maybe it was my zero suit...tight, blue latex didn't exactly seem like something that was the norm here.

As I swiftly walked towards the castle, I noticed all of the guards. They all had spears, their armor of pure silver. They all looked bored, though, like they didn't really want to be there. All of them sat around, slumped against walls and pillars. If the Galactic Federation was this lazy, we would be in a hell of a lot of trouble with the Pirates.

The gates opened for me without a word, and I walked towards the main doors. Two guards were stationed there, and these two looked more able than the ones I had seen in the town. One of them spoke. "Your business here?" he asked, his face red, his eyes straying away from my face. I was really tired of men acting like that around me.

"I was asked to come here to keep an eye on the Princess Zelda," I said, folding my arms over my chest. As I did so, his eyes shot back up to my face. This time, though, he had a look of surprise.

The other guard cleared his throat. "The Great Hero sent a _woman_ to protect the princess?!" he asked, clearly surprised. Part of me knew that neither of these men liked it. I could tell this was a very male-dominated world.

With a frown, I said, "Yes. Can you please tell me where to find her, then?"

They both looked at each other. "Second floor," the first guard said. "Back hallway, first door to the right. That's the way to the princess's tower." I nodded, walking forward, through the main door past the guards.

There wasn't much more than that said between me and anyone, for that matter. The castle was very easy to maneuver through, and if I really needed to know, I would ask someone I saw. The stairs were very small for my feet, and I had a hard time walking up the steep steps. With some difficulty, I made it to the second floor.

Looking at a woman, I asked, "Can you tell me where the back hallway is? I was told to go there."

She looked at me in fear. I loomed over her, trying not to be too intimidating. Or least, I hoped so. With a looked around the hall, she said, "Just keep walking straight. It's the last hallway."

"Thank you," I said, and walked away. I didn't want to have to converge with these people; they obviously didn't like me too much. I couldn't possibly imagine how strange I looked to them.

I flung the door open and walked in, groaning when I saw the next set of steps. As I got further up, I heard a voice say, "—let us handle it." It was obviously a man, with a baritone voice. For some reason, it made me uncomfortable.

Another voice spoke, this one a woman's. "Who is 'we' and 'us'? Or am I not allowed to know that either?" Obviously, there was an argument going on. It seemed in my best interest not to say anything, I had a feeling.

For a few minutes, I hesitated outside the door. Despite my job in my own world, I really hated confrontation. It wasn't physical confrontation that bothered me, it was verbal. My social skills weren't up to par with the rest of the world, so trying to talk to people, especially when being confronted, wasn't exactly my strong point. Shoot first, ask questions later.

Finally opening the door, I winced as the hinges creaked. They obviously needed to be oiled. Quietly, I said, "I was told to come here. Back hall first door to the right. My ships in a secure are, and is highly camouflaged. I covered my tracks on the way here; some say it's unnecessary, I think it's part of the job."

In the room was two people, a man and a woman. The man wasn't exactly tall by the standards of my home, but here, I could tell he was somewhat tall. He smiled at me and nodded, his hair a deep shade of black. Like the guards, I saw his eyes flash back and forth between my chest and face, his face red.

The woman was sitting on her bed, her brown hair pulled back in a braid, a tiara on her head. She wore a very royal-esque dress, and was really quite pretty. Her deep blue eyes were inquisitive as she looked over me, and then back at herself, a look of embarrassment on her face. An awkward smile crossed her face. I knew who she was right away.

"So...you're Princess Zelda, huh?" I said, not really a question.

She shook a little, and I could tell I made her nervous. ...I did that to a lot of people, and it made me feel bad. "Yes," she said, her voice shaky, "and what might your name be?"

I couldn't help talking to her like she was little. She obviously had no idea what was going on, and she gave off the impression on innocence. Very regal, very princess-like. She was the ideal princess, and part of me wanted to be sick over it. But I kept my cool. "Samus Aran," I said. "I'm here to protect you for a while." I held out my hand to shake her's.

She glanced at the chipped nail polish on my filed nails, and I couldn't help but chuckle inwardly. That had been a funny experience, although I was really sick after the buzz had worn off.

"I was told this was a high class, formal joint, so I tried to look at little classy. I wasted 2.75 on purple nail polish and all I ended up with was a buzz from the fumes and huge, purple stain in my ship. Point blank, Princess, I'm not royalty."

And form the look on her face, I could tell she was agreeing with me. I couldn't help but notice how skeptical she looked at the idea of me being there. Of course, if I was in her position, with her knowledge, I would probably feel the same way. Something else told me that she didn't like having people watch her all the time. It was going to be difficult.

As I looked back at her and shook her hand, I could sense the nervousness emanating off of her. Part of me wanted to laugh, while the other part of me knew this wasn't that good. My time with her would feel like it dragged on forever, I could tell.

--

Samus is a dumb ass who gets high of nail polish. Wow. You can't help but love her.


	2. Chapter 2

Wow, two chapters in a day. But, before I say anything else:

© of Nintendo

And stuff. Oh yeah, read my girlfriends.

--

**Chapter 2**

The uneasy smile that graced her face showed her obvious discomfort. The forced laugh added to the discomfort. Something that I couldn't help but realize was that this princess seemed to be just as socially awkward as I. Not something you would expect from a princess. Would she be used to conversing with people?

The man cleared his throat, drawing my attention to him. He looked awkward to, but I knew he was awkward for a different reason. And people wonder why I hate men sometimes. "Well, Samus....You will be sleeping here," he said, pointing to a comfortable looking twin bed. This would probably be the first time I wasn't sleeping on my ship in a long while.

I felt very nervous as I stood there, surrounded by people I didn't know in a place that was unfamiliar. The man spoke again. "I hope you find your sleeping arrangements are up to par." He looked distant, not really seeming to notice his surroundings. "Bathroom is down the hall; you will shower there and take care of all your personal needs." I only nodded.

When he turned his back, I looked at him, disgusted. Couldn't people just leave me alone? I'm not even that pretty, I told myself. I inspected the room; two twin beds, another door, a bookshelf, doors to a balcony, a fireplace, and a dresser. Simple accommodations for a princess, I noted.

Zelda spoke, her voice still nervous. "Feel free to use my cleansers and such, Miss Aran," she said, smiling. "It would be difficult to be clean with nothing to clean with, and also, I have many outfits you can wear." She was polite, I noted. I was trying to get to know her as best I could, and this was something that should've been obvious, I realized. But something struck me as odd.

"'Miss Aran'?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Just call me Samus." I hated it when people called me anything but. It reminded me of Gandrayda, who used to call me Sammy. "And thanks for the offer," I added, "I may have to take you up on that."

The man said, "So...Samus, Princess, if there's anything else you need, I will be in the second hall over, third door on the left. Please make yourself at home, Samus," he added, "you are our guest." He exited, and I remained standing there, aloof for a second, before flinging myself onto the bed.

It was much more comfortable than the bed of my ship, and I felt like I could fall asleep at any moment. I had never been this tired, it seemed. Something told me I was only tired mentally. Wishing I knew how to speak, I stared at the ceiling. Thankfully, Zelda was the first one to speak.

"So...Samus? Where are you from, exactly?" From the corner of my vision, I watched her sit up and look at me, curiosity on her face. Was I really that much of an oddity, that people stared at me and wondered what I was? I was used to being different, but here, I felt like a Skritter trying to live among Sheegoths; it just didn't work.

Not really knowing how to answer that, I answered, "I come from many places." I shrugged, and scratched my arm, feeling an uncomfortable prickling feeling that was nothing like an itch. I wondered what it was; that only usually happened when I was nervous. "Why?" I asked, wondering what had possessed her to ask that of all questions. Did it matter where I was from?

She looked nervous again. "I...was just curious, not everyday I meet new people. Just thought I'd get to know you better." Looking straight into my eyes, she shrugged.

I felt shocked. No one had ever really wanted to get to know me. Normally, it was just that I was there to be a hired hand, I was payed, and then it was over. But this woman, that I didn't even know, who didn't even know that I existed until ten minutes ago, wanted to know me? What was this strange world? "Oh," I said, allowing the silence to encompass us again.

Without looking at her, I watched her get up and walk to the balcony in my peripheral. She left the door open, and I got up when she was outside. I was supposed to watch her, and that was exactly what I was doing. I had heard enough bad things to know that something could happen to her out there.

The setting sun reflected back at us, as she leaned on the balcony, and I stood in the doorway silently. She spoke out loud. "Where are you, Link?" she asked aloud, not sounding worried more so as wondering. "Am I indecisive?" she suddenly asked, sounding like she was about to laugh. I didn't understand what was going on, but I had an idea.

"Do you want food?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

She jerked around, and looked shocked. "How long have you been standing there?!" she almost demanded.

"Long enough," was all I said. She blinked, something going through her head that I couldn't see, obviously. I wondered what it was.

"Do I...what?" she asked, looking like she had zoned out. Maybe she didn't understand what I said? I mean, I had an accident here, but...was it that heavy that she didn't understand what I was saying?

"...Want. Food. Do you. Want food?" I repeated. "I don't think it gets much clearer than that." How stupid could she be? I wondered to myself. I couldn't help but smirk at her; I thought royalty was supposed to be smart.

"Y-yes. I suppose." The answer was very point-blank, exactly the opposite of indecisive.

"Then you're not indecisive," I simply said. "You answered that fine. Here," I added, handing her some chocolate I had on me.

She looked confused, almost nervous as she stared at the chocolate. "W-what is it?" she asked, her nervousness and confusion obvious.

"Chocolate."

"From where? You came in empty handed." It appeared as if I would never cease to amaze her. But it wasn't that much of a surprise.

"My pocket, pocket chocolate." I started laughing, and I didn't understand why. Was I so tired that I was laughing at things that rhymed? Laughing at something that wasn't even that funny. Apparently, yes. I was.

She smiled politely, and I could tell I was coming off as a little strange. But then again, I was strange. When I stopped laughing, I walked over to the edge of the balcony, standing next to her. Staring into the sky, I watched the stars. They were beautiful, and very different than the stars I was used to.

She smiled brightly when she ate the chocolate, and I said, "Chocolate's a stress reliever, you know?" Obviously, she did not.

"No, I didn't," she said, glancing down at the chocolate in her hand. "That's interesting, Samus. I can see why you carry it around with you, it's very tasty." She said that as she took another bite, smiling again.

"Yeah, it's a favorite of mine," I said, continuing to stare off at the sky. Why was I so bluntly honest with this woman? I didn't even know her. Honestly, though, she captivated me. I was so fascinated by her, and the way she acted. We lapsed into silence again.

As the wind plowed towards us, Zelda shivered. I felt kind of bad for her. She obviously hadn't noticed any more than I did, and her dress didn't exactly look like it kept her warm. I said, "Zelda, get inside, it's cold. Get under the blankets and lay down. Finish your chocolate." She shoved the last of it in her mouth, and I chuckled slightly.

Putting my arm around her shoulder, I helped her walked inside. Something told me she was tired, and that she had a hard time walking. Her first step inside sent her plummeting, and I grabbed her and pulled her up.

She was very light, and it wasn't very hard to keep her up at all. I held her up and closed and locked the door behind us, smiling slightly. She was fragile, just like a princess. I closed the curtains too, making the room darker, and, still supporting her, made her bed. Her eyes were rolling back in her head, and it was kinda funny.

"Uh, you okay?" I asked.

"Yes. Yes. I'm gonna get changed into my night gown. There are some comfortable clothes you can wear in the dresser next to your bed...."

She slipped in to her closet, and I took the liberty upon myself to use some of my technology to get some of my own clothes here. I loved technology sometimes. I got a pair of sweatpants and a tank top. I was changed and sitting on my bed before she even got back. Part of me worried she had gotten lost.

Stumbling out, Zelda looked around, kinda out of it. Getting to my feet, I helped her get to her bed; it didn't look like she could walk on her own. "I thought you got lost in there," I said, not laughing. I wasn't joking, and I knew she could tell.

As she lay down, she mumbled, "No, I made it...."As she pulled the sheets over her, I turned off the lamp. "Nice to meet you, Samus," she said in a groggy voice.

"Yeah, nice to meet you, too...." I said as I sat down on my bed, staring at the floor.

"Goodnight Sam...sum...sa...." I wanted to laugh. She couldn't even finish her sentence.

"G'night, Princess," I said just before she fell asleep.

Laying down on the bed, I listened to her rhythmic breathing. My head spun with questions, keeping me from sleeping. What was going on here? Was Link ok? Would they find him? Would he survive? Closing my eyes, I prayed for sleep to take me.

--

Samus is the biggest dumb ass in the history of dumb asses.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3. I'm trying WAY too hard with these things.

Characters © of Nintendo.

--

**Chapter 3**

It was very dark that night. Despite the darkness and silence of the room, I couldn't fall asleep. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get comfortable; this bed wasn't mine, this place wasn't mine. It wasn't home anymore. It was…some random place that they told me to come to.

When I finally fell asleep, I wasn't asleep long. I could hear the scuffling sounds of someone moving across the room. The scuffling sounds of feet on the floor. My arm was flung over my head, so I couldn't see anything. My body felt exhausted, my brain muddled.

Feeling her presence over me, I wondered what she was doing. Staring at me? Was I that strange that she stood over me, wondering what was wrong with me? Wondering why I was so different? As I lay there, I could sense her bringing her arm towards mine, as if to pull it away.

"Don't touch me, I'm sleeping," I said, without moving. I could hear her almost scream.

"How did you know that I was-?"

"Sleeping."

"Ok." As she spoke, I yanked the blanket roughly over my head, and prayed to be brought back home. Part of me wanted to leave, and the other part wanted to stay. I couldn't wait to be rid of this place, but I still loved it here. It was a lot more serene than any place I had ever been.

Listening, I heard Zelda creep towards the windows, trying to pull open the blinds, I was sure. "Don't do it. Don't even try," I said, not moving.

"How did you-?!" Zelda exclaimed, sounding like she was going to scream in fear.

"Sleeping!" I was sorry to be rude to her, but morning wasn't really my time. Part of me just couldn't wait to go back to sleep, to even watch the horrid nightmares that plagued me. But part of me knew that, even asleep, I wouldn't feel right.

"Ok, ok, I get it!" I listened to the sounds of her making her bed. The rhythmic sound made my eye lids start to slide shut. But then, I was awake again. I just couldn't sleep here. The fate of the country, of Link, of the princess in the room with me, weighed heavily on me.

The door was opened, it's creaking hinges making my skin crawl and pulling me out of the trance. "I'm sleeping, damn it!" I almost screamed. I heard her gasp, but then the door was shut, blocking her from me completely.

Sitting up, I ran a hand through my hair. It wasn't greasy, and I was sure that I could last another day without taking a shower. My back arched when I stretched, and I listened to the vertebrae pop. Rubbing my face, I wondered what exactly it was that made this so difficult for me.

But the one thing I did know was that Zelda shouldn't be left alone, even for a few minutes. Slipping out of the doorway myself, I walked down the hall to where the bathroom was. Standing by the door, I listened to the inside, and heard Zelda say, "I'm not very sexy, am I?"

I wanted to laugh. She didn't think she was sexy? Where I was from, she would be considered one of the most beautiful, most gorgeous girls. But now, here, she thought little of herself. And for the record, part of me thought that she was sexy.

She spoke again. "Dear Goddesses, why can't I be pretty?" I chuckled. What was wrong with this woman?

When she exited, she looked at me, and almost screamed again. "How long have you been standing there?!" she exclaimed. My head tilted to the side, and I couldn't help but make her wonder.

"Long enough," I said.

She cleared her throat slightly. "Can I…help you?" she asked, awkwardly. I knew that this wasn't what she had been expected, to see me here, but she should've seen it coming, of course. She didn't expect me to leave her alone, did she?

"Yeah, how 'bout we go eat? You hungry?" I asked. My stomach growled, and I shifted uncomfortable. Of course, that wasn't exactly what I had been hoping for. Of course, that wasn't what I had been going for. But things happened, you know?

"Yes, I could go for breakfast," Zelda said, smiling and giggling. "Let's go." What was so funny?

As we walked into the kitchen, I was in shock. I had never seen that much food before in my life. Not when I was with the Chozo, not when I was with my human family. I never had time to eat this much food, never had time to even consider that there could be this much food. Looking at Zelda, I exclaimed, "I haven't seen this much food since....Wow...I've never seen this much food." My stomach hurt; I was hungry, and there was so much food in front of me.

"It's only breakfast," she said, a little uneasy. Was this normal for her? To have this much food?

"Only breakfast?!" I exclaimed. "This is nearly breakfast, lunch, and dinner for me...for the next six weeks!" Sadly, that was true. Reaching over, I grabbed a plate, hunger getting the best of me.

"Help yourself to anything here," Zelda said, waving her hand airily and grabbing a plate as well, "eat until you're full."

I didn't know what half of the stuff I picked up was. I just grabbed it. I was hungry, and open to trying these new things. Zelda laughed. "Hungry?" she teased. Her eyes showed her worry; was she wondering about my eating habits? I mean sure, they weren't great, but...she didn't really need to worry about me.

I spoke between bites. "Yes," I said. "I never see meals like this. I don't even know what half this stuff is; but it's good. Thank you."

Zelda seemed happy enough. "Anytime you're hungry, there's always food in the kitchen. Feel free to ask for something at any ti--"

Cutting her off mid-sentence, I said, "Ready for seconds." I was used to eating a lot in a short period of time, and then only eating every so often, but I was trying to get myself out of that habit. It was hard to know when you were going to eat next on long missions. The doctors at the Federation always berated me about that, telling me to get out of that habit...I was trying, damn it!

This time, I filled my plate with other things, some I had seen before, others I had not. When I sat back down, Zelda laughed. Then I noticed her take a bite of something that made me angry; where those eggs? They were.

"You are sick," I hissed. I couldn't help it. I couldn't bring myself to eat eggs, poultry...any sort of food that had a reference to birds. Even normal meat, I had a hard time eating. That was the effect of living with bird-like beings: a total disdain for anything like eggs and poultry, and a hard time eating other animals.

"What...?" Zelda didn't seem to understand what she was doing wrong. Of course, I hadn't expected her to understand, not many people knew this about me.

I gulped. "That was supposed to be a baby...a baby bird," I whispered. Knowing that this people were VERY far behind compared to my home, somethin told me that they didn't really have a way to know whether an egg was fertilized or not. She could be eating a baby bird....

"I'm sorry?" Zelda said, more a question. As I looked away from the eggs, I calmed myself down. No need to yell over this, she hadn't know.

"I'm sorry....I don't like eggs. Just the thought...." I couldn't help the shudder. Watching Zelda's face, I noticed how bad she felt.

She looked concerned. "No, no. I'm sorry, I didn't know. Here...." She scrapped the eggs into a trash bin. "All better."

An uncertain smile crossed my face. "You didn't have to...." I mumbled. I felt bad that she was forsaking her breakfast for me.

"I wanted to...." she said, smiling at me. Turning to a server, she politely asked, "Please make sure there are no more eggs served at breakfast time. Tell the chefs. Thank you." Her voice was kind, but I knew that, no matter how rude she was, she would be listened to.

You could hear everyone shouting and screaming in the kitchen. I wanted to laugh at the havoc, something I would normally do, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. "All better, Samus," Zelda replied, patting me on the back. I shivered from the touch.

"Ready for thirds," I said, smirking. My plate was empty again. Zelda looked shocked.

--

Samus is going to gain weight if she keeps eating this much.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4. Fun stuff. Right? Right.

© of Nintendo.

--

**Chapter 4**

Maybe I shouldn't have eaten so much. But really, there was never any other time or place where I _could_ have eaten like that. I assured myself that it was for the best, all that I had eaten, as we walked to Zelda's room. She seemed pretty happy.

"Well," she said, smiling, "while you're here...Samus, what would you like to do?"

It was a question I was not used to being asked. Normally, it was more like, "Samus, can you...?" or "Samus, do...." Her glances didn't make me uncomfortable, I noticed. I felt calm as she looked at me. Maybe it was something about her....

"Eh...," I said, just shrugging. "What is there to do?" Looking her straight in the face, I watched her blush. But why? Was I making her uncomfortable? Was she embarrassed about something? What had I done? Why did I care?

She glanced uneasily around, as if hoping for someone to appear and pull her away from me? Was I that annoying; that much of a burden? I was used to being blown off by people, but this was just getting to be too much.

"Well, we could walk around, go to the bazaar...." She hesitated and glanced up at me, as if I was going to bite her. "But people usually go there to eat. Um...I usually do artistic thing, like painting or poetry."

I had never tried my hand at painting or poetry. Glancing down at them quickly, I realized that they weren't really hands meant to create anything. They were really made for the opposite; made for destroying as opposed to creating. It made me sad when I thought about that.

She pressed on. "We also have a lovely garden in the back," she explained, "a crystal pond nearby perfect for swimming, a horse stable...." She trailed off.

"Horses?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. Link had told me about those, and I had heard of them living in my world, on Earth, far away from any place I had ever been to. Once, I had seen a picture of a horse, but I had never really seen one in person. Someone who had had once told me they were one of the most beautiful creatures he had ever seen. The horses had diffidently caught my attention.

"Yes, out in the back. Let me show you." She grabbed my hand, making me shiver slightly. Physical contact with other people wasn't exactly a norm for me. And she was dragging me all over the castle, it seemed.

Downstairs, through this corridor, down this hallway, through the dining hall, past the living area. But we reached one place that made me stop in my tracks: a library. I spoke it out loud, testing the words, almost. "A library...?"

It wasn't something I saw every day. Libraries had once been very common. But now...they still existed, but they weren't everywhere. People didn't have much use for books anymore. Especially when you could read everything you wanted on a computer. But even so, I loved books. They fascinated me to know end. The pages with the print on it was so different than the average computer screen.

The only light came from the large windows, another thing that was different from the normal fluorescent lights that made everything seem eerie. Here though, everything seemed light and happy. Quite a change from my life.

There was row after row of books in this room. The libraries back home weren't nearly this large, but something told me this was average for a place as medieval as this. Although...I could scarcely imagine what kind of books were in front of me. My Hylian reading wasn't exactly up to par. Even though they spoke a variation of English, their writing was strange.

"Yes," Zelda said, smiling brightly, "I'm trying to read everything, but so far I only have the north wall covered. I don't stay focused to well with the histories and sciences...." No need to tell her those were some of my favorite subjects to read about. Part of me wondered why she looked away. Did she know how much I loved the subjects, and was embarrassed because of it? Or was it something different?

"That is impressive," I had to admit. I had never read that many actual books before. I had read countless manuscripts and writings on a computer, but never that many actual books. A thought occurred to me. "Am...am I free to use this whenever, or is it a private study?" I couldn't help the hopeful expression that crossed my face.

Not really listening for an answer, I walked over to the shelf in front of us. The books were thick here, and I assumed this would be the history and science section that Zelda dreaded so much, although I couldn't understand why. Placing my hand on the spine of the closest book, I read the title. "Legend of the Great Hero." Either this was history, or this was legends. I would have to ask Zelda about that sometime. But it didn't make sense that the next book would be "The Gerudo Wars." Maybe I had translated wrong or something.

I pulled out the book about this mystical Hero person. Flipping through the pages gently, I read random snippets of the book, trying to understand what this was about. It wasn't making much sense to me. I read:

"In the great Forest of the Kokiri, in the far side of Hyrule, lived a boy who would one day bear the fate of this great land of Hyrule on his shoulders." "And so the Great Hero descended, Blade of Evils' Bane in hand, to fight off the great threat to Hyrule." "In the great Temple of Fire, the Hero again met the strange man named Sheik, who taught him another song." I gave up after that, and placed it back. Of course, I was fascinated, but I would read it later, when I had more time.

"Of course, Samus," Zelda said, cheerful, "whenever you like. The library is here for everyone."

I needed to get out of here before I spent the rest of eternity reading those books. "Well, maybe you should show me those horses, eh?" I asked, smiling. I really did want to see the horses, though, even if I was drawn to the books.

"All right, this way," she said, grabbing my hand. This time, I tightened my grip around her's. I was afraid that if I let go, I would drift back to the library.

Leading me outside, I was surprised by the bombardment of scents in the air. Petals floated around the air, very serene in their own sense. Kind of to be expected though; this place seemed like the type to have floating leaves everywhere. I rolled my eyes.

As we walked, Zelda giggled. Only every so often though. I really didn't understand what this was. This place was so strange. I asked, "You all right, Zelda?" She blushed when I looked at her, and I realized she was probably embarrassed by something. Zelda really was an open book.

"Yes," she said, embarrassment in her voice, "just flower petals...they brushed by and it tickled. I'm sorry," she added.

But why was she apologizing? What was wrong with being ticklish? Of course, I wasn't, but what was wrong with it? "Why are you sorry?" I asked.

She looked nervous, like she didn't really know. "I...." She stopped.

I just shrugged. "It's all right, Zelda," I said. Looking up, I smiled slightly. "Is this it?" There was a stable here, filled with horses. I could see how well taken care of these strange looking animals were.

But one thing I noticed was that they were quite beautiful. Four legs, a man of hair, a tail, and a long face. They had very wise eyes, as if they knew more than they were letting on. Part of that frightened me, because I had met many frightening animals like that. Who knew what these animals were really capable of? But I was probably over-exaggerating, just frightening myself.

Zelda was running her hand over a gold plate of an empty stable. "Poor Epona," she said quietly, almost as if to herself. She looked over at me, so I just looked back. It looked like she had something to say. "Link took her with him, wherever they went. I mean, I understand why she's the best horse in the stable; strong, fast, and so very beautiful. It would just hurt if she didn't return. She's only an animal; she doesn't deserve to be in any situation like that."

Silence over took us for a second. She looked at me, so I said, "I'm sure that Epona is okay, Zelda." Did she really care more for the horse than Link? I wasn't going to question it.... "She's...err...in good hands." I didn't really know what to say. For one thing, I didn't know Link well enough to know if he would be good with a horse or not. For another, sympathy wasn't exactly my strong point.

Zelda was staring at something above my head. Maybe a horse behind me. But when she started giggling, I didn't really understand what was going on. "Ladies likes you, Samus," she said, continuing to laugh.

I blinked, and got defensive. I scowled slightly, confused. How could she possibly know that...?!

But she just kept staring above me. Finally, I just got frustrated enough to turn around. What I saw made me scream.

One of the horses stood behind me, whinnying softly. I screamed and fell back, and luckily Zelda caught me under my arms. I felt myself go down a little, as if she wasn't expecting me to weigh as much as I did, and then her arms steadied. What could I say? Muscle was heavier than fat....

I could tell my face was red. That was embarrassing! How could I have let my guard down like that?! I was Samus Aran! I was prepared for everything and anything! How could I have let a silly little horse slip through my defenses?

Zelda giggled and said, "It's okay, Samus, Ladies is friendly." _Ladies?_ "No harm done to your hair, I swear on it." _It was nibbling at my hair?!_ "Be careful though, it would've been horrible if you hit your head on a stall!" While she spoke, she helped me up.

Brushing off my shoulders icily, and sighed. That was the one thing I was good for: I could pull myself together quickly. "Yeah," I said, "sorry about that. I just...it took me by surprise and—wait. Wait did you say her name was?"

"Ladies," Zelda said matter-of-factly. "A nearby boy from the village donated her here, so I didn't name her." Relief washed through me, and I smiled slightly.

"Oh," I said, even hearing the relief in my voice. "All right. Just wondering." I looked outside, following to where Zelda's eyes were locked: on the sky.

"Aw, it's raining...but it was sunny just a few minutes ago."

I smirked slightly. I couldn't help it. "Weather's funny that way."

"I guess we should head back, then."

Together, we walked out into the rain. We were drenched instantly, but I didn't really mind. This wasn't the worst thing that had ever happened to me. And in a weird way, rain was kind of cleansing. Not only did it wipe off the muck and the grime, but it cleansed the soul, as the Chozo used to say. Rain brought life; the plants were always greener, the air always fresher, the flowers always brighter. It was peaceful, in it's own sense.

We walked together, not going very far before something that I found kind of funny, and kind of sad, happen. As we moved forward, Zelda slipped and fell face-first into the mud. Anyone would be embarrassed by that.

Sitting up, she looked up at me. I was surprised to see that she was crying. Was she that upset over this? She shouldn't be. It could've been something a lot worse than mud, with all these horses around....

--

What is Samus talking about? I think any idiot could figure this out.


End file.
